January 17-18, 2004
Photography & Text by Bernie

Trip Organizer: Bill (AA6J)

The Rockhouse Canyon trail head is located at the end of a 9 mile long dirt road which passes by  Clark Lake in the Anza Borrego State Park.  Since this is a desert hike, all necessary water should be carried in.  There is a good spring in the upper reaches of the valley - but it may be difficult to find and it is always possible that it may not be running.

Hiking north from the end of the road we followed a prominent desert wash, which is the drainage for all of Rockhouse Canyon and the imposing Santa Rosa Mountains to the northeast.

Our first destination was Hidden Springs, which is just inside the Anza Borrego State Park.  The spring is nothing more than a small seep, probably providing no more than a couple of cups of brackish water.   Nevertheless, it supported a well used Indian encampment on the ridge above the spring.  After some searching, we finally located pottery shards, grinding morteros and traces of old campfires - evidence of where the Indians used to camp.

Hiking northward from Hidden Springs we left the boundary of Anza Borrego State Park.  As we traveled, the desert wash became progressively narrower, finally becoming a deep gorge with sheer cliffs on both sides.

The steep cliffs provided much appreciated shade.  Early in the day the high cliffs provide welcome protection from the desert sun.  

Eventually we came to a steep (dry) waterfall which can not be directly negotiated.  After some scouting , we found a way to climb up and around the steep slippery rocks.

Many pottery shards can be found in the vicinity of the stone house ruins.  In addition, we could easily see a number of faint Indian trails leading various directions into the valley.  Pottery shards should never to taken - the "ancient ones" have left them there to remind us of their passing.

After getting a bite to eat and resting here for awhile, we headed cross-country towards a prominent knoll at the far end of the valley marking the entrance point into Nicholias Canyon, our destination for the evening.

Along a ravine leading into Nicholias Canyon we came upon a small mining prospect.  Someone had worked very hard to haul a cast iron water pump and other equipment into this remote location.

The shadows were getting very long by the time we left the mine; nightfall was quickly coming.  Even though everyone was tired, there was no suitable place to make camp.  We had to push on to our planned destination.

Hiking further up canyon, we entered a dense grove of alders and cottonwoods, with a small creek running through the grove.

Just as it was becoming dark we made a final push several hundred feet up a steep hillside to locate our camping spot for the night.  It was completely dark by the time we got there, having to use our headlamps to guide our way in.

We camped on the location of the stone house ruins in Nicholias Canyon.  However, it wasn't until the following morning that we could actually see them.

After breaking camp we headed towards the third and last set of ruins - the Old Santa Rosa Village.  From our campsite we followed an old Indian trail down hill, providing easier hiking than we experienced on the cross-country route traveled the prior afternoon and evening.

The photo above looks down into Rockhouse Valley.  In the upper left corner you can see a trace of a brighter area at the base of the large mountain.  This is where the sandy wash exits Rockhouse Valley, draining into the gorge we followed the previous day.

After eating lunch at the first ruins, we re-entered the gorge and retraced the prior days route back to the trail head.  

This was a fun and interesting trip, however it is a bit strenuous and should only be attempted by those prepared for the rigors and hazards of desert backpacking.